Fine Books 1700-1850

​1734-1765 The Thesaurus of Amsterdam​2017 SOLD for € 510K including premium

The harbor of Amsterdam is a hub of international trade. Expert in maritime affairs and thirteen times mayor, Nicolaes Witsen organizes the relations with Asia and Siberia. Thanks to him Amsterdam controls the coffee trade from Dutch Indies to South America. He also supports the scientific work of the explorer and naturalist Maria Sybilla Merian in Suriname.

In this context which was highly conducive to the natural sciences, Albertus Seba settled around 1700 as a pharmacist near the harbor. He requires the sailors to bring him back the exotic plants which will be used for his apothecary preparations and the animals, shells and minerals which will constitute his repository of curiosities.

In 1717 Tsar Peter the Great paid his second visit to Amsterdam. Twenty years earlier he had been introduced by Witsen to Ruysch who taught him how to catch butterflies. On the occasion of his new visit the Tsar buys in their entirety the natural history collections of Ruysch and Seba.

Seba's procurement process was inexhaustible. He constitutes after that sale a new collection even more important than the previous one and decides to establish and publish a catalog with the help of the best scientists and engravers. His classification by physical features will directly influence Linnaeus who visits him twice in 1735.

Seba died in 1736 whereas only the first two volumes of his Thesaurus had been published, in 1734 and 1735. The edition will be completed with the third and fourth volumes in 1758 and 1765. This natural history by Seba is a splendid large folio 50 x 34 cm and somehow the counterpart for animals of the masterpiece of botany, the Hortus Eystettensis published by Besler in 1613.

On November 28 in Paris, Christie's sells a complete copy of Seba's Thesaurus, lot 547 estimated € 350K. Its binding in the mosaic style is exceptional : the first two volumes were bound by the Dutch master Mandelgreen ; the two later volumes were bound in an identical style without loss of craftsmanship.

1800 Early Views of Philadelphia2011 SOLD 118 K$ including premium

After independence, the United States of America organized. It was a time of glory for the city of Philadelphia which was the country's provisional capital during the construction of Washington DC.

The great Pennsylvania town had many attractions for intellectuals and artists. In 1794 an Englishman named William Birch moved there. Artist and engraver, he had previously published views of the historic buildings of Norwich.

He was a passionate of Philadelphia, considering the continuous growth of the city as a symbol of the conquest of civilization over the wild.

In 1800 he published a book entitled "The City of Philadelphia In The State of Pennsylvania, North America, as it Appeared in the Year 1800". 28 views engraved and watercolored show the topt monuments and also the typical life of the city. Being the first of its kind to be published in the United States, it could be understood as an effective and new propaganda for Philadelphia and was favored by Jefferson.

It is a book of oblong folio size, 36 x 46 cm. A copy in its original leather binding is estimated $ 70K for sale by leather binding is estimated $ 70K, for sale by Pook and Pook in Downingtown PA on January 15.

POST SALE COMMENT

Result before fees: $ 100K. It is a great price when considering that the book was not in very good condition. It deserves his price for its originality at the time when it was published.See eight photos of this lot and the result on the catalog page shared by LiveAuctioneers.

​1807 The Romantic India2013 SOLD 340 K£ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

England, then a colonial and military power, wanted to control the richest countries on Earth. This policy engendered the British love of travel, discoveries and tourism. The Cook expeditions contributed to have appreciated by everybody the beauty of the farther countries.

In 1784, ThomasDaniell had a great idea. Accompanied by his nephew William then aged 14, he traveled throughout India during nearly ten years to draw and sketch the most spectacular monuments.

The Mysore War took place appropriately during this period, fueling the curiosity of the aristocracy to this immense country. Back to London in 1795, the Daniells understood that their images could support one of the most beautiful books of their time.

Completed in 1807 with regard to the original edition, this book titled "Oriental Scenery" was a commercial success despite a limited edition, due to a very expensive selling price.

The Daniell's book consists of six parts in folio size, 73 x 52 cm, including 144 hand-colored aquatints. Monuments are sumptuous, with some animation. The later work of the younger Daniell on British landscapes reinforces a possible comparison with their famous contemporary Turner.

A copy bound in three volumes of the "Oriental Scenery" is estimated £ 150K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 28. It is a very rare complete copy including the eight sepia plans that are likely subsequent to the original edition. Here is the link to the catalog.

The beautiful book of Thomas and William Daniell seems to have inspired the British architects. The quality of its views of monuments has certainly influenced the early travelers photographers of India, half a century later. The aquatint was the most suitable technique for this project at a time when lithography had just been invented.

POST SALE COMMENT

Sold £ 340K including premium, this beautiful book has exceeded its higher estimate.

​1809-1828 The Monument of Egyptomania2011 SOLD 1.1 M€ including premium

"Soldats, du haut de ces Pyramides quarante siècles vous contemplent" (Soldiers: from the top of these pyramids forty centuries look on you). In 1798, General Bonaparte, made famous by the campaign of Italy, had great ambitions. The expedition to Egypt had a low military value and led to a fiasco. But it had a significant social impact. For several years, the fashion named "Retour d'Egypte" (return from Egypt) is a new variant of the naive imitations of antiquity.

The many scholars who accompanied Napoleon in Egypt had reaped a lot of information, some of which were of very high importance. The Rosetta stone was rediscovered during the expedition.

In line with the work of the eighteenth century encyclopedists, Napoleon decreed that the multidisciplinary observations of his 160 scientists had to be gathered in one publishing project. He did make it by his official Imprimerie Impériale.

"La Description de l'Egypte" is a monumental work by its size and its quality. It includes 23 volumes, which were developed in parallel from 1809 to 1828. It contains 974 plates, some in colors, most of them involving several drawings.

The copy for sale on May 11by Christie's in Paris has been bound by Tessier as recommended by the printer. It is preserved in its original mahogany display case. This set is estimated € 500K.

The Description of Egypt had such prestige that its second French edition, by Panckoucke, was started in 1821 without waiting for the completion of the official edition.

POST SALE COMMENT

Excellent price, € 1.1 million including premium, for this monumental work.

A photo showing the importance of this set in its furniture had been published in the release shared by AuctionPublicity before the sale.

​1817-1824 Redouté, the Raphael of Roses2009 SOLD 220 K€ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

The most beautiful illustrated book dealing with roses is that of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, who is nicknamed "le Raphaël des Roses".

A native of Liege, this watercolourist made his career in Paris, without political problem through the periods of the Revolution and the Empire. Meticulous artist, he was particularly appreciated by his botanist friends.

The first edition of his book "Les Roses" was published in thirty deliveries between 1817 and 1824, comprising 169 folio plates devoted to the same number of different roses. Each picture is printed twice, in black on ochre paper, and in color (three or two colors). Color images are enhanced with watercolor.

It is difficult to judge which of the two printings is the most beautiful, as the quality of the dotted engraving made by Firmin-Didot is exceptional. In addition to its clear botanical interest, its smooth tones make it one of the greatest masterpieces of printing.

A copy bound at the time in three volumes will be sold by Piasa in Paris (Hôtel Drouot) on May 12. All roses are present in both printing variants. This copy had remained in the family of the first purchaser. It is estimated 150 K €.

POST SALE COMMENT

An excellent result rewards this exceptional copy: 220 K € premium included. This price may serve as a reference among the most important illustrated books of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

I invite you to watch the video shared by Interencheres.

​1827-1838 Audubon by Subscription2010 SOLD 7.3 M£ including premium

Two books, or better two events, from a single collection are waiting for bibliophiles in the sale at Sotheby's in London on December 7: the First Folio of Shakespeare and Audubon's Birds of America.

Let's start with the birds. We already know them in the Prints group. Here is (slightly modified) how I summarized the importance of this work:

Lovers of top auctions remember the outstanding results obtained by Christie's in New York on the major work of Audubon, The Birds of America. The four volumes contain 435 hand colored etchings.

These prints are in double elephant folio size, the largest known format for an illustrated book: 100 x 67 cm. The gigantic size is related to the goal that John James Audubon managed for the great work of his life: he wanted all his birds being displayed in their natural habitat in life size, even for the largest. This American had to travel to England to find a publisher: he was Robert Havell, in London. The publication spanned twelve years (1827-1838). Such a duration was not unusual at this time for ambitious books.

The highest price achieved at Christie's, $ 8.8 million including premium, was recorded on March 10, 2000 on a copy constituted by subscription, whose colors remained remarkably fresh.

The copy for sale by Sotheby's, estimated £ 4M, has similar qualities. It was collected by the eleventh subscriber in Audubon's ledger, a paleobotanist from Edinburgh who was convinced of the value of the project during a wine party with the author.

POST SALE COMMENT

Great success for this outstanding book: £ 7.3 million including premium.

​1838 The Birds of the Dukes of Portland2012 SOLD 7.9 M$ including premium

The final version of Audubon's The Birds of America, published in London, includes 435 plates engraved from 1827 to 1838, hand-colored from the watercolors of the author and bound in four volumes. Made in a quite large format, 98 x 65 cm, it is the masterpiece of illustrated books. All birds were carefully drawn in life size.

The introduction at auction of a full version in good condition is an event. Two of these prestigious copies came from original deliveries by subscription. They were respectively sold $ 8.8 million including premium at Christie's on March 10, 2000 and £ 7.3 million including premium by Sotheby's on December 7, 2010.

At the end of the operation, Audubon's list included 161 subscribers. Its printers, Lizars and Havell, had planned it wider, and it is likely that a few remaining copies have been assembled in volumes in 1838 for new customers while retaining the chronological order of publication.

The copy of the library of the Dukes of Portland is probably one of those assembled without subscription, and it remained in exceptionally fine condition. It may be considered like an original edition by the bibliophiles as most of the first plates are in first state, as evidenced by watermarks and through the variants of the legends.

1840-1843 An Ethnologist on the Frontier​2017 SOLD for $ 420K including premium

Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied, the second son of the titular prince of a very small state in Rhineland, retired from the army in 1815 to immediately fulfill his motivation for natural sciences. Inspired by von Humboldt he was also interested in ethnology. For three years he explored the south of Brazil. His album Reise nach Brasilien brings to the Europeans the first reliable informations and images on the then wild tribes of Brazil and their artefacts.

In North America the west of the United States is still largely unexplored. Wied-Neuwied wants to visit the tribes of the border to compare them to the Brazilian natives. Accompanied by the young Swiss artist Karl Bodmer, he travels along the Missouri River in a 4400 km long journey in the 1833 spring and spends the following winter in Dakota.

Wied-Neuwied and Bodmer devote the next years to the preparation of the publication of their North American works in German, French and English. From 1839 to 1841 Bodmer now living in Paris prepares 81 illustrations divided into 48 large format tableaus and 33 vignettes which are printed in aquatint by Bougeard on 61 x 46 cm sheets.

The publication in fascicles of Reise in das innere Nord-America in den Jahren 1832 bis 1834 is carried out from 1839 to 1841. The publication by Arthus Bertrand in Paris of the Voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Amérique du Nord effectué pendant les années 1832, 1833 et 1834 extends from 1840 to 1843.

That French version is made up of three volumes of texts and an atlas volume containing the 81 aquatints in oblong folio. 206 copies are made. Only 6 examples have all their images hand-colored. For 30 examples the coloring is limited to the plates that provide the best ethnographic content. The rest of the publication is left in black and white.

On June 13 in New York, Sotheby's sells a copy of the Voyage, lot 75 estimated $ 300K. Its atlas is complete in the format used by Bougeard. 19 tableaus and 7 vignettes are colored without alteration from the original hand-coloring.

A fully colored atlas pre-dating the French volumes was sold for $ 300K including premium by Doyle on November 3, 1999. Most plates carry Bodmer's blind stamp and their titles are trilingual.

​1842-1849 David Roberts, British Tourist2010 SOLD 167 K$ including premium

PRE SALE DISCUSSION

The early nineteenth century saw the development of tourism, to which the British travelers brought passion. As its name suggests, this tourism is to tour the curious sites and monuments in distant countries.

Influenced by Turner, David Roberts leaves in 1838 for Egypt and the Holy Land. He wants to reveal to his contemporaries the magnificent monuments, of which he takes drawings and watercolors.

He starts too early to use photography. The technique of his time is lithography, in steady progress since its invention in 1796.

The two books by Roberts, one on the Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia (1842-1849), the other being specialized in the latter two countries (1846-1849) are possibly the most beautiful books of the nineteenth century.They are very large (elephant folio size, 62 x 44 cm), and the lithographs were made by Louis Haghe.

A copy of these two books, in six volumes, is sold by Heritage Auction Galleries in Beverly Hills on February 11.Wonder of wonders, it is the "DeLuxe" issue, hand colored. This lot is estimated $ 250K.

POST SALE COMMENT

The estimate was too high, but this book has still been sold: 167 K $ including premium.

​​1845-1848 The Mammals of North America2013 SOLD 290 K$ including premium

John James Audubon was an ornithologist. The preparation of his great book on American birds spanned twelve years, from 1827 to 1838. He thereafter released also this set in smaller formats.

In 1841, he began to publish, also by subscription, a series of images of the mammals of North America, identified as viviparous quadrupeds according to the language of the time.

A copy of the first edition in book form of these images, published in 1845-1848, is estimated $ 250K, for sale by Swann in New York onApril 11. It brings together in three volumes 150 hand-colored lithographs in elephant folio size, 68 x 54 cm.

For all its aspects, this book is less ambitious than the Birds, which was the biggest illustrated book of its time, an admirable double elephant folio 98 x 65 cm.

Less familiar of quadrupeds than of birds, Audubon was helped by the naturalist John Bachman who co-authored the book. And of course, many beasts are too big to be published in life size.

Despite this comparison against it, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America is one of the finest illustrated books of the nineteenth century. The catalog does not mention the volumes of texts that have been published under the scientific authority of Bachman from 1846 to 1854.

POST SALE COMMENT​Good result for this book: $ 240K before fees, 290K including premium.